Vehicle-spring.



PATENTBD AUG: 13, 1907.

ik. 863,5355; J, H. ATHONS. VBHGLE Smm APLIOATEGN HLBD TBB. 29, 1907.

laag mi UNIIED sTAfLEIlAfrENT l OEEIOE.

JOSEPH HERBERT ATHONs, OE Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNOR 'ro JOSEPH LAWRENCE PIKE, OE Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

specification' of Letters Patent.

. Patented Aug. 13,1907.

To all whotz it mmf concern: v lie" it known that' l', JOSEPH HERBERT A'rnoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, inthe county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- Srprings, of which the following is a specification.

The Object of the invention is to provide a vehicle springof superior-strength with agivcn weight ol' inalc- ,rialg tmminimixe liability of breakage Of automobile springs and the like: also to provide means for retaining the-spring in place on the vehicle axle. v. Vj In order that my invention may be fully understood, il Iwill refer to the construction of springs known to me tobefin common use for automobiles, and which are subject to breakage from a cause which if is the object.`

my xinvention to avoid; that is to say, in constructing and mounting abalf elliptical spring, or both halves of o lfull-elliptical spring, it has heretofore been customary to bore a hole` through cach of the leaves of such spring at .some .point along` its mid-length, and the several leaves of the spring thus perforated are fastened toother by a bolt and nut,and thereupon the spring thus formed will 'be mounted on the spring-seat, chair, or saddle of the axle, and will be fastened thereon by clips. Under hard usage, springs of this kind very frequently break, the fracture'occurring at the part Oi the spring weakened by the hole before referred to. r An object of myvinvention is to provide a construction which avoids the weakening of the spring in the manner described, and which will give increased strength tothe spring by cheap, simple and efficient' means.

The principle of this invention-is that the spring is Aso constructed as to avoid the'usual perforation, and to prevent the vibrations of the/opposite limbs of the spring from concentrating at the middle ofthe fixed portion of the spring. l A The y,accompanying drawings ilhistrate the invention z- Figure 1 i's a side elevation of a half elliptical spring embodying the invention as mounted on an axle, a por- Ilan Of Which is shown in cross-section. Fig. 2 is a plan` View of the spring shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical mid-section on line x3, Figs. and 2,

showing the means for holding the spring together. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line fc, Figs. 1 and 2, showing the means for fastening the spring upon the axle. Fig. 5 is a plan of the bottom clamp plate. Fig. 6 is an elevation ofthe bottom clamp plate. Fig. 7 is a plan of the upper clamp plate detached. Fig. 8 is a i'ragmental elevation of one of the leaves, showing the central dent, with the corresponding boss. l Vis a vehicleaxle provided with the usual spring- 3, 3/, 4, 4, 5, 5/, 6 designate the leaves of the spring, the same'being of the usual form excepting that instead ofv being pierced with holes as in the construction referred to, they are respectively provided at a point O11 the axial mid-line,` With a dent 7 and a boss 8; the dent being on one side of the leaf and the boss O11 the other side of the leaf directly opposite; the boss on one side, being produced from metal forced outward from the surface of' theleaf by the pressure of the tool which makes the corresponding dent in said leaf: that -is to say,-the leaves of the. spring are constructed after the manner of the leavesA of locomotive springs in this one' respect. I

9 and 10 respectively designate two plates, each being provided at the middle at opposite edges, With two holes as ll. 12, tomreceive bolts 13 secured by nuts 14, whereby the normally bent leaves of the spring may be tightly held together with the boss of one leaf in the dent of the next leaf, and so o n'. Thus the leaves are positively prevented from sliding endwise on each other, and the middle of the spring is braced., The bolt holes 12 in the bottom clamp plate l() are countersunk on the under side, which is provided with the boss 10, and the heads of the bolts 13 fit said countersunk holes and are flush with the underside ofsaid plate, so

that' the plate will fit snugly against the spring seat 2.

By the construction above described the leaves of th'e spring may be clamped firmly together, the plates 9 and 10 serving as braces on opposite sides of the spring to 'strengthen the same at the point of contact With the lspring-seat of the axle or vehicle body, as the-case may be. One of said plates is designed to engage the springseat 2, and said plate and spring-seat are provided With engaging means, as a boss and an indentation, inra manner corresponding to those of the leaves of the spring and said plate is made complementary to the leaf of the spring with which it engages; that is to say, if said spring leaf is provided with an indentation on the face that engages the-plate, said plate Will be provided with a boss, and vice versa. In the drawing, the spring-leaf is'shown as provided with a boss 8 engaging in an indentation 7 in the plate. Said plate is also provided on the side opposite'that which engages the leaf, with a stud 15 engaging in a hole 16 in the axle or spring-seat 2. The top plate 9 is also provided with a plurality of boltholes 17 through portions 18 of said plate projecting beyond the 'edges of the spring leaves to accommodate bolts 19 which pass through bolt-holes 20 in the springseat, and are fastened by nuts 21 on said portionsvlS of the top plate 9. By this construction the clamp plates 9 and 10 serve not only to hold the spring leaves pressed together and under tension, but also to hold the bolts that hold the spring in place on its seat.

In actual use, the vibration of the spring is practically excluded from the ports thereof clamped between the clamp plates, so that the strains are divied between the limbs of the spring on opposite sides of the spring-seat. This greatly reduces the liability of breakage, and at the same time the fastening means inay be.

stud with an. indentation, super-posed spring leaves on said' plaie provided respectively with interlocking indentations and bosses, the'lower leaf being provided with u boss to engage the indentation of said plate. a plate on top ,of

said leaves, the same being provided with holt holes, bolts iu said counter-sunk bolt holes and in the holes oi' l-he upper plate. nuts on said bolts, said bolts engaging: the

edges of the spring leaves. bolts through the iop plxtfv :ind spring seat, und nuts on sa'd bolts.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles California this 14th day of February 1907.

. JOSEPLLllERBI'iR'l ATHONS. ln presence of .Mums R. Towxsnxn, .Tosiuil LAWRENCE PIKE. 

